Bangalore will soon have monorail, says K'taka CM

The project, for which the state govt will soon float tenders, would be launched on a pilot basis on August 15.

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy announced on Saturday that Bangalore would son get a monorail along with a metro rail system that was recently cleared by the Centre.

"We have decided to introduce a monorail network from Kanakapura on the outskirts of the city to Majestic in the heart of the city, covering a distance of 18 km in the first phase," Kumaraswamy told reporters at a function organised to mark the completion of 100 days in office by the coalition government in the state.

"We are working out the details to launch the project on a pilot basis from August 15," he said.

The state government will float tenders for awarding the monorail project to the competitive bidder.

"The plan is to provide an integrated transport system to the six million people of Bangalore and check the growth of private vehicles.

"To avoid clash of interests and overlapping, mono and metro rail projects will be aligned for smooth transition at key junctions," Kumaraswamy said.

Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda had been impressing upon the state government over the last two years to introduce the monorail transport system to complement the metro rail project, keeping in view the growth of the city.

"We have decided in principle to consider both the projects. We are working on the design of the monorail so as to align its network with the metro rail lines.

"While the 34-km metro system will operate within the city, the monorail will connect the suburbs with the city. Both the transport systems will be integrated for optimal utilisation of resources," the chief minister said.